Pat Miletich in 2018.

The violent invasion of the U.S. Capitol last week has led to backlash against some former athletes involved, including former U.S. Olympic swimmer Klete Keller (who wore a U.S. Olympic team jacket to that insurrection). The latest figure caught up there is Pat Miletich, a famed former MMA fighter and trainer, a UFC Hall of Famer, and a long-time MMA broadcaster for events like Legacy Fighting Alliance. As per ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, LFA removed Miletich after he was seen on video during the Capitol insurrection:

Pat Miletich, the first UFC welterweight champion and one of the most decorated coaches in MMA history, announced in an Instagram video that he was fired by Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) for being present at the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

The Hall of Famer has been a color commentator for MMA events such as LFA for more than a decade. LFA airs on UFC Fight Pass.

In a statement to ESPN, LFA wrote that Miletich has been removed from the LFA 97 broadcast this Friday and the promotion will continue with an investigation to determine the next steps.

“First and foremost, the LFA supports the participation of the constitutional right to peaceful protest,” the statement read. “During preparations for the 2021 debut broadcast, it was brought to the LFA’s attention that photos of questionable nature surfaced on various social media outlets involving fight analyst Pat Miletich. While the LFA continues to investigate the situation, the decision was made to remove Mr. Miletich from broadcast duties for this Friday’s LFA 97 event.”

Miletich’s Instagram account has plenty of photos from the Jan. 6 riot, many blaming “Antifa” for the violence. Here’s one including a “fuck the media”:

 

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A post shared by Patrick Miletich (@pjmiletich)

This was just one of several unflattering media mentions for Miletich Tuesday. Steven Marrocco’s MMA Fighting feature on Spencer Fisher’s post-career mental issues had plenty to say about what Fisher endured training at Miletich’s gym, including this paragraph:

The abuse started on Fisher’s first night in Bettendorf. Miletich guys called him Billy (short for hillbilly), and aimed liver shots to short-circuit his body. After his first crucible of sparring rounds, he went to the bathroom to fix something with his nose. When he returned to the floor, his sweatshirt was a shotgun spread of blood booger.

Regardless of questions about his training methods, Miletich is certainly a notable MMA figure. As Raimondi’s piece notes, he was the first UFC welterweight champion, and he’s one of the most decorated coaches in UFC history. And he’s been a prominent MMA commentator for more than a decade. So it’s certainly interesting to see him removed from broadcasts after this.

[ESPN; photo of Miletich in 2018 via MMA Junkie]

About Andrew Bucholtz

Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.